As Hurricane Helene swept away many homes and resources in Florida, it was never expected to do the damage it did to North Carolina. Hurricanes typically damage coastal communities and cause beach and waterfront erosion and damage. They don’t devastate mountain communities.
However, this hurricane, one of the most powerful to come ashore in the last hundred years, was different. Not only did it devastate Florida, it also swept through Georgia and South Carolina before hitting North Carolina.
When it hit, people in the western North Carolina mountains watched their homes get swept away by the storm with once in a century flooding. They tried to survive through it all.
The most damaged places in the mountains are cities and towns such as Asheville and Chimney Rock where flooding was very bad and almost everything was destroyed.
For days, massive flooding due to rain and other factors swept away not only Asheville, but many other small towns and communities in the mountains.
This was a devastating time and event for North Carolina, and people all around the state are trying to raise money and supplies for the stranded people in Western North Carolina.
At Community School of Davidson (CSD), administrators scheduled a remote day for Friday, September 27, as the weather affected Davidson and other nearby areas, and the school wanted to make sure that everyone was safe. In Davidson, rains and winds made it unsafe to go outside and tornado warnings were frequent. Thankfully, it was not as bad around Lake Norman as in Western NC.
On Monday, when CSD came back in session, many Upper School clubs and the Student Government Association (SGA) immediately met and discussed raising money and resources for the western North Carolina people.
Teachers organized efforts, too. Student Life leader, Leslie Bragg, sent emails through ParentSquare and StudentSquare with lists of supplies that were most needed. She asked for supplies such as pet food, first aid kits, pillows, sheets, bath towels, garbage bags, generators, etc.
SGA asked student advisories to collect money with an ice cream prize to the advisory that raised the most money. This incentive made people want to donate even more. Ms. Starr Horton’s advisory ended up winning the Davidson Ben and Jerry’s prize, and the school raised a total of $4,423.
CSD’s Lower School also initiated two relief programs. Grades K – 7 started to collect and donate food and pet supplies to people and pets in need.
Lower School science teacher, Taisia Mills, spearheaded the pet relief efforts. This project was “kid friendly” because it allowed the younger students to give and support pets, something perhaps closer to them than people.
Through CSD and other local, regional and national efforts, people all over western North Carolina are starting to get the help they need to recover more quickly.
The support for the people of western North Carolina continues and will be ongoing through the school year. The need continues and CSD will be there. If you are interested in supporting CSD‘s efforts, please reach out to students, teachers or the front desks.
